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When I walked into my local Spanish deli recently, the musty,
sweet, earthy smells, the Spanish banter and the hanging sausages
and paella pans took me back to Spain and its pungent, heady
paella.

Inspired to make paella myself, I went home with a pan (known as
a paellera), a bag of calasparra rice and some Spanish sweet
paprika and saffron. You need a wide, shallow, thin-based pan, to
allow the rice to cook relatively quickly and as evenly as
possible. If you buy a paella pan, get one that serves six - any
larger and you'll need a larger than normal gas jet.

The sofrito is the foundation of the paella so it is important
to get this rich and flavoursome. Long cooking of the tomatoes will
remove the acidity, resulting in a smooth, sweet, concentrated
sauce. It must be well seasoned and use plenty of olive oil, to
help separate the rice and carry the flavour. Once you have a tasty
base, bring the stock to a rapid boil before pouring in the
rice.

Don't add too many ingredients - remember, paella is all about
the rice and the ingredients are there simply to flavour it. Do not
stir - I repeat - do not stir paella. It must have a dark crust on
the bottom to impart that slightly smoky, deep flavour.

The resting time at the end is crucial so the flavours can
marry. A rested paella always tastes much better than one hot from
the stove.

Paella with chicken

This is based on Valencian paella but has been modernised by the
omission of snails and wild rabbit. A true Valencian paella would
never use chorizo - I have included it because it's quite
delicious! You can prepare the sofrito up to a day ahead.

Heat the paella pan then add 2 tbsp of the olive oil, the
chicken and chorizo. Season well with salt and pepper and cook
until quite brown all over. Remove the chicken and chorizo to a
bowl.

For the sofrito Add the rest of the oil to the same pan
and, when hot, add the onion. Cook over a medium heat, stirring
occasionally until the onion has softened and is golden. Now add
the garlic, cook for a few minutes then add the capsicum and cook
for a further 5 minutes until lightly coloured and softened. Now
add the tomatoes, season liberally with salt and pepper and cook
slowly until the sofrito has reduced and there is no liquid left.
Add about 1/2 cup of water and continue to cook until the liquid
has again reduced. This should all take about 45 mins and can be
done ahead of time. The sofrito should have a concentrated flavour
and pulpy consistency.

For the paella While the sofrito is cooking, gently heat
the saffron in a small pan for a few minutes, until it changes
colour and becomes fragrant. Be careful as it burns easily. Remove
from the heat, crush with the back of a spoon and add to 2 tbsp
warm water. Add the chicken, chorizo and paprika to the finished
sofrito and cook, stirring for a couple of minutes.

Add the water or stock, the beans and rosemary and bring to the
boil. Taste the mixture. It should be very tasty - if not, add
salt. Now add the saffron and liquid and the rice and bring to the
boil. Stir briefly then turn to a low heat.

Do not stir any more. Cook the paella for 15-18 minutes or until
the rice is plump and almost soft; it should be a little resilient.
Now turn the heat to high and cook for a couple of minutes. Any
remaining liquid will boil away and a crust will form on the bottom
of the pan.

Remove from the heat and cover with a teatowel for 10 mins, then
remove the teatowel and allow to rest for another 5-10 mins before
serving.

Squeeze over the lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Serve directly from the pan.

Heat the paella pan. Add 2 tbsp of the olive oil, then the
prawns and calamari. Cook for a few minutes until brown all over
and season with salt and a little pepper. Remove to a bowl.

For the sofrito See method in previous recipe, but omit
capsicum.

For the paella Prepare saffron as per previous recipe.
Add the prawns, calamari and paprika to the finished sofrito and
cook, stirring for a few minutes, then add the water and bring to
the boil. Taste mixture, adding salt if necessary.

Add the saffron, peas and the rice and bring to the boil. Stir
briefly then turn heat to low. Place the pieces of fish and mussels
over the rice and poke them in a little so they can cook. Do not
stir.

Rest the paella, as per the previous recipe, before topping with
lemon juice and chopped parsley and serving directly from the
pan.

Serves 6.

The rice: For paella, always use a medium round-grain
rice, which absorbs and holds the flavour and cooking liquid better
than the long-grain varieties. Calasparra rice is excellent but you
can easily substitute arborio.

Caramelised oranges

These are refreshing and simple and a great finish to paella.
Make them the day before.

Cut the rind and any white pith from five of the oranges then
slice into thin rounds. Place in a colander, allowing the juices to
drain into a bowl. Squeeze the juice from the extra orange and add
to the reserved juice. Arrange the oranges in a serving dish with
the cinnamon sticks.

Combine the sugar and water in a tall saucepan and stir until
the sugar has dissolved. Heat until the sugar turns a deep golden
colour (this will take about 10 minutes on medium-high heat).

Turn off the heat, stand back and pour in the combined orange
juice and Grand Marnier. Because of the difference in temperature
the caramel will splutter but this will soon subside.

Stir until the syrup is smooth then pour over the oranges, cover
with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for several hours
or overnight to marinate. Serve chilled, as is, or with whipped
cream or ice-cream.